Changes
by Ceresigen
Summary: Many changes are happening in the Cullen family's lives, including the loss of two members. How can Alisa and her best friend Dally effect their lives even more?
1. A Jock and a Pretty Boy

I sighed, annoyed, as the teacher came to my desk, _again_. This had to be the fifth time in _half an hour_. I wasn't even doing anything wrong! Well, except coughing whenever he started to talk, but, it's not like I could help it. My friend Dally, who was in the seat in front of me, was smirking; she knew what a trouble-maker I was.

"Ms. Dredger," he said in his monotonous voice. I looked up, sighing again and folding my hands on my desk. My face burned; nearly everyone was looking at me.

"Yes, Mr. Johnson?" I asked in the sweetest voice I could manage. He handed me a sheet of paper and pointed to the door.

"Fill this out, and meet me after class." Great, detention, _again_. Jeez, I should just start skipping again; it was a hell of a lot more productive than getting in trouble all of the time.

"Yes, Mr. Johnson." It was hard, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. I practically snatched the paper from his hand, causing him to give me a look, and started to fill it out.

Thirty minutes later, the bell rang, a loud noise that always makes me jump when I hear it.

"Have fun in detention," Dally said as she passed by, laughing. I rolled my eyes and resisted the temptation to flip her off; it was her way of joking, but did she have to say it every single time I get in trouble? Groaning, I gathered my things and walked up to the teacher's desk, watching the clock. Looked like I wouldn't be watching the entirety of the Halloweentown marathon that night; Mr. Johnson's detentions always lasted a minimum of three hours. I'd often wondered if it was even legal to keep students that long, but he never got in trouble.

"Sit," he said, not looking up as he pointed to my desk. I rolled my eyes, flipping him off as I sat back in my chair, leaning against the seat with my arms folded across my dark green, tank top-covered chest. After a moment I pulled out the small hand mirror I carried around out of my dark blue purse, and looked at my reflection. I'd been complimented on my looks more than once, but I've always refused to believe they weren't being sincere; I'm not pretty, at all.

My black hair reached my shoulders, and I had a white skunk stripe at the part of my hair. My mother's side of the family seemed to be cursed with grays and white hair at an early age; her hair had gone completely white by the time she had turned twenty-five. I was seventeen. My eyes were pretty, I guess; a blue color with flecks of gold and brown near the pupil. My skin, darkly-tanned, is riddled with blemishes and scars from my many misadventures in the tree in my backyard. I'm also heavier than the average girl my age, and my figure shows it. The only part of me I really liked was my nose, as weird as that sounds; it was small, angular, and the small silver stud I'd gotten in tenth grade was always shiny and eye-catching.

I jumped and immediately put my mirror away, hearing Mr. Johnson do his signature clap he used to get the class's attention. Without a word he put a rather thick packet in front of me. I sighed; I knew the drill. Grabbing my pencil, I got to work.

The three hours passed slowly, and even with the long time period, I still wasn't done with the stupid packet. Stupid math, always being harder than it should be... I gathered my stuff, not bothering to get the teacher's permission. He didn't make a comment, just continued to read the newspaper; I wondered how he could still be reading it, considering he had started at the beginning of my detention. I left.

"Hey, Alisa!" Dally said, jumping up from the hallway floor. She held out her elbow, expecting me to take it. I shook my head, wondering what she was doing here.

"How did you-?" I began, but she cut me off, looping her arm around mine and half dragging me down the hall.

"Ooooooh my God!" she exclaimed, a giant grin on her face. "You'll never _guess_ what just happened!" I raised an eyebrow.

"Char finally asked you out?"

"Yes! ... Wait, no! Better!"

"I give up." She stopped us, turned toward me, grabbed my shoulders, and started to bounce up and down in the way she often did.

"Emmett Cullen asked me out!" I paused, trying to match the name to the face. There were a lot of kids in our school, so it was hard to remember.

"Oh, isn't he one of those weird new kids?" I asked, cocking my head. She nodded excitedly. "I- thought he was dating that, um... Rosalie, chick." She shrugged.

"They broke up yesterday, when you were out sick. Big screaming match it was; her brother, Jasper, had to hold her back. She looked ready to eat someone, and I would've swore her eyes were black during it."

"Seeing things again?" I teased, smirking. "Hope the little marshmellow people don't start trying to eat you." She pouted; she hated it whenever I brought up the little incident.

"No, it was just... dark, I guess. Anyway, we're going on a date tonight." Immediately, she changed her facial expression, wearing the puppy-dog pleading look. "Y'know, this is my first boyfriend, Lis," she stated, and slowly she began to clasp her hands together under her chin. "I'd really like it if you came with me." I automatically shook my head.

"No thanks, don't feel like being a third wheel,"

"Oh, no, you won't!" she said, perking up. "He said that if I wanted to bring a friend he could get his brother, Edward, to come!" I looked at her blankly.

"... He's dating Bella, remember?"

"Emmett said that she left the family; she's eighteen, after all, she can do that. He also said something like, 'she finally came to her senses...'" She shrugged, and resumed her pleading. "Please, I'm nervous! You've done this before, after all! I need your help!" I sighed; she knew how much of a softy I was when it came to her puppy-dog look.

"Fine. Call me when we're going."

"Nuh-uh, you're coming to my house to get ready." She started to drag me again, being more stealthy this time; it was getting dark out, and I was supposed to have left nearly ten minutes ago. "I promise to make you even more goooorgeooooous than you already are!"

"Ugh, I wish you'd stop saying that," I muttered under my breath; she was the worst when it came to complimenting me.

"You'll learn it someday, Lis!" She laughed and let me go, taking off towards the front door. I raced after her, my breathing getting heavy only after a few moments of running. I was panting by the time I reached the door, Dally holding it open for me.

"Thanks..." I said, walking out. She started skipping ahead of me her messenger bag swinging from her shoulder. I had to jog to keep up with her.

A ten minute walk to her house, a call to my mom, a whole bunch of makeup, and some clothes browsing later, and we were waiting for Emmett and Edward. I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror Dally kept in her room, spinning once to try and get a full look.

Dally was amazing with hair and makeup. She had straightened my hair for me, a fresh look from the unruly mess it usually was. She'd put it up in a messy bun, which actually looked kind of good on me, I'm reluctant to say. She left a few pieces framing either side of my face, and a plastic flower clip near my ear. A bit of eyeliner, light lipstick, and cover up and I had to admit that I was prettier than I ever had been in my life.

After so many times of me spending the night on school nights and having to wake up extra early to rush home because I forgot my clothes, I had just started to bring some with me to store here; it was like my second closet. Dally didn't mind; I'd seen her more than once wearing my stuff, claiming that, 'if it's in my house, I get to use it, no discussion.' So, I was stuck in a button-down white blouse, a jean skort, pantyhose and a pair of black flats. It didn't look bad, but it didn't look awesome. I fiddled with the stretchy bracelet on my wrist, watching as Dally exited her bathroom, walking with her arms held out for me to inspect.

As usual, she looked amazing. Her hair, a fiery red, was curled up at the ends and put into a side ponytail, a clip-on ribbon she claimed was her good luck charm attached to the ponytail holder. Her bangs covered her left eye, making the right one pop out. A bit of blush brightened her cheeks and her lips were red from her lipstick. She didn't need much to look beautiful.

She'd finally decided on, after much careful consideration, a dark blue dress that reached above her knees. A black sash was tied around her waist into a bow. A pair of black boots and she felt she was done.

"So?' she asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes. "Think he'll like it?"

"He'd be an idiot if he didn't," I reassured her. "You're beautiful, as usual."

"And you look gorgeous, just like I said!" She put her hands on her hips, a look of triumph on her face. "I am amaaaaazing!" She giggled, and at that moment, the doorbell rang. "They're here!" she squealed and rushed out of her room, grabbing her purse and gesturing for me to follow. I walked behind her more slowly, not excited. I heard the door open, and a sharp squeal from Dally followed. I looked over from the corner of the hallway to see a big guy shuffling inside. A more lanky boy followed. I held in the giggle I always got whenever I saw Edward; he was a pretty-boy, the kind of guy I generally made fun of.

"Hey Dally," Emmett said, giving her a quick hug. He seemed to be a bit touchy-feely, not to mention he didn't look too beat up about him and Rosalie breaking up. Edward, however, reeked of doom and gloom, as if he didn't want to be here. Emmett seemed to just remember that his brother was there, and gestured for me to come forward. Raising an eyebrow, I trotted towards them. He pushed his brother in front of him.

"You're Alisa, right?" I nodded. "Edward, Alisa, Alisa, Edward. All right? You better have fun," he said to Edward. I was sort of surprised by Emmett's insensitivity.

"Whatever, Em," Edward muttered. Huh, weird. I didn't know 'whatever' was in his vocabulary, considering the fancy-schmancy words he usually used. I offered my hand to shake, but he didn't even look up. Feeling awkward, I immediately brought my hand up to my neck, waiting for someone to break the uncomfortable silence. Emmett put his arm around Dally's waist, causing her to blush under her makeup.

"All right, let's go!" He swept Dally outside, and Edward and I followed. The pretty-boy might as well have a storm cloud above his head, the way he was acting. As I got into the back of Emmett's nice convertible, I could tell it was going to be a loooooong night.

* * *

**So, that was long, and boring. Ugh, It'll get better, promise. I'll update soon, hoping that I don't get bored with this. Err, sorry if Edward or Emmett were OOC; I did my best.**

**Hope you enjoyed, please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Emmett, or Edward; Stephenie Meyer does.**


	2. The Double Date

Twenty minutes into our double date and I already was bored to tears. Edward was being stoic and wasn't even talking to us. Emmett and Dally were too busy talking sports and gazing into each others eyes. I was glad when our food arrived; it gave me something to do other than just sit and daydream of being in front of my computer screen.

"Oh, did you catch the game the other night?" Emmett asked, not touching his food. Dally nodded energetically, digging into her pasta.

"I think the game was rigged," she stated, wiping her mouth after swallowing. "Either that, or the ref wasn't watching the same game I was." He nodded, grinning. I sighed and rested my cheek on the palm of my hand, twirling a french fry around in the ketchup on my plate. It didn't seem right, to be eating chicken tenders and french fries in such a fancy restaurant, but it was the only thing I liked on the stupid menu.

"So... Edward..." I started, he looked up at me through his eyelashes. I thought for a moment. "Hey, can I call you Eddy?" I laughed to show I was joking, but he didn't seem to understand that.

"Absolutely not!" he snapped, glaring now. Emmett grinned and looked at his brother.

"Don't worry 'bout him," he said, jerking his thumb towards Edward. "That's a sore spot for him, nicknames. Probably because Alice and I like to call him Ward-o," All three of us laughed, Edward just glared. "Whoa, Dally, hungry there?" I automatically looked down at Dally's plate; it was pure white, no sign of the pasta at all.

"Jeez, did you lick the plate or something?" I asked, laughing. She blushed, shrinking in her seat somewhat.

"I didn't have lunch, remember?" I nodded. The laughter died down once our waiter came by, giving us a death glare for being loud. I sighed and returned to my daydreams, not touching my food. I noticed Edward was now watching me, a strange look on his face. I was slightly stunned, looking into his handsome face; his eyes were a deep golden color, the same as Emmett's. I knew they were brothers, but, _wow_.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked, pointing his chin towards my plate. I looked down at it.

"Eh... no, I'm not, really hungry." Hearing me say that, Dally turned towards me. Rolling my eyes, I pushed my plate towards her.

"I love you," she said, starting to scarf down my plate.

"I know,"

* * *

After dinner, Emmett dropped us off at Dally's house. They went inside, and I was about to follow when Edward suddenly grabbed my arm. Acting on instinct, I grabbed his, twisting it behind his back.

"Oh my _God_," I said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Don't _do_ that!" He nodded, and I let him go.

"Listen, Alisa," he said, crossing his arms behind his back. "Perhaps we started off on the wrong foot." I hesitated.

"No, it's cool," I said slowly. "I mean, you just lost your girlfriend, didn't you? Kind of mean of Emmett to make you go on a date right after, especially with someone you've never talked to before." He flinched.

"Yes, well, I'd like to get to know you," he said. "Maybe you could come around our place after school tomorrow, along with Dally?" He seemed to tack the Dally part on as an after-thought. Creepy, was my immediate thought.

"I don't know. My mom doesn't like me going over strange boy's houses." He nodded.

"Well, my adoptive father is part of staff at the nearby hospital; she could meet him, first. I'd be happy to arrange the meeting." I hesitated before nodding slowly.

"Suuuure, okay, um, well, should I give you my number now, or something?" He shook his head.

"You can give it to me tomorrow."

"Okaaaay..." Awkwardness, again. Great.

Thankfully, Emmett came out a second later, swinging the keys on his fingers. He snapped twice, and Edward immediately followed him, the gloom and doom aura surrounding him once again. I waved and turned, pushing open the door. Dally was sitting on the couch, excited.

"That was great, wasn't it Lis?" she asked, her smile huge. "Em and I have so much in common!"

"You both like sports and making people mad; whoop-dee-doo." I spun my finger in the air for added affect. Her smile vanished.

"Look, I know Edward was a bit of a dead-beat-"

"A bit? Try completely." I sighed and sunk down into the seat next to her. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're happy, I know. Great. I'm happy for you." I yawned and stretched. Looking at the clock on her TV, I saw it was nine 'o clock already. "Oh, shit! I told my mom we would be back by eight!" Jumping up, I hopped from foot to foot, getting anxious. "She's gonna kill me! Can you give me a ride?"

"Absolutely!" She grabbed her keys, grabbed my stuff, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out the door. She seems to have an obsession with dragging me around. I pulled out my cell phone, dialing my mom, bracing myself for the yelling.

* * *

My mom had yelled at me for almost an hour that night, and kept walking into my room and grounding me, and then two seconds later would come back and un-ground me. She'd finally decided on not grounding me, but doubling my chores for the next week. I didn't protest. As harsh as it sounded to me, I knew how paranoid she got whenever I was gone for a long stretch of time; she'd been like that ever since my father died a few months ago.

School was boring, as usual, the next day. The only thing that entertained me the entire day was Health, considering I still laugh at phallic humor, and the gooey look in Dally's eyes as she sat with Emmett, Edward, their sister Alice, and I. I didn't question the absence of the other five - Bella, Rosalie, Jasper, the Native American looking kid named Jacob and the girl with the funny name, Renesmee or something - chances were I didn't want to know. I was happy when the bell rang. I had been as quiet as I could today, and there was no detention for me.

"Wow, a whole day and no detention; this is cause for celebration!" Dally exclaimed, jumping up and pumping her fist in the air. Those were the first words out of her mouth after school whenever I didn't get in trouble; girl loved to party, and looked for any excuse to do it. "How about we-"

"So sorry," a voice said, tapping me on the shoulder. "I meant to catch you during lunch, but it slipped my mind." It was Edward.

"Oh, yeah, the meeting. Here," I took out a piece of paper, scribbling down my number. I handed it to him, and he took it immediately. "Call me and we can set up something for our parents." He nodded and pulled the gray hood on his sweatshirt over his bronze hair.

"I'll call you later," he said, and headed toward his car, a silver Volvo. I had to admit, he was kind of creepy. I nodded, waved, and turned back to Dally who was grinning like an idiot.

"Is something going on between you two?" she asked, clapping her hands together. I shook my head.

"Nah, he just wanted me to come over. You too." She squealed. Man, that was getting annoying. I smiled slightly, putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Jeez, one date and one day of going out; you sure you're not getting too into this guy? I mean, you have all of two things in common so far."

"I knoooooow! But, he's just, _perfect_!"

"Perfect doesn't exist, Dally; might wanna remember that." She pouted and crossed her arms. She hated it whenever I brought her back down to reality.

"C'mon; my mom let me have the car today, so we can go to your house," she said, still a bit miffed. I followed her to the Focus her mother owned and climbed into the passenger's seat. "Your mom won't go on one of her rages while we're there, right?" I thought for a moment, and then shrugged.

"It's possible. Maaaaaaaaaybe I shouldn't ask my mom if she can meet Edward's dad after all..." Dally immediately turned the car off, and looked at me.

"Oh, Alisa, we have to go! I want to see Em's house and meet his parents!"

"Dally, you do realize you've only know him for _one fucking day_, right?"

"You don't have to swear..." she murmured, looking down. "And anyway, I know he's 'the one!' Definitely!" I rolled my eyes for what felt like the seventh time in a few hours. I loved Dally like a sister, but she was too much sometimes.

"You're seventeen, you won't be eighteen until next year," I started off calmly. "You have no idea what love is, I have no idea what love is, and true love _definitely_ doesn't exist." She hesitated and then turned the car back on.

"Always ruining my fun..." she muttered as we pulled out of the school parking lot.

* * *

"Absolutely not," was my mother's immediate response. I was about to let it go when Dally poked me, hard, in the back. I sighed. I hated arguing with my mom, but Dally would end up bitching if I didn't permission and couldn't go; if my mom deemed it too dangerous or whatever, Dally's mom followed in suit. It had been like that since second grade.

"But, mom, he's really, nice," I said, not knowing whether I was lying or not. "And he wants you to meet his father first. And if I go over there, I'll have Dally with me." On cue she grinned hugely and stuck herself to my side. Again, I could see she was going to say no.

"Mrs. Dredger," Dally cut in. I resisted the urge to face-palm at the slight urgency in her tone. "I can assure you that me and Emmett, Edward's brother and boyfriend, will keep Alisa as safe as possible. And Dr. Cullen is very interested in meeting you. He's all about standards, and he knows he wouldn't want one of his daughters going off to some strangers house without meeting them first." Wow, convincing. Nice. I wonder if Emmett had to tell her that, or she somehow magically met Dr. Cullen during the whole day she'd been with Emmett. My mom still didn't look too happy, but she finally nodded.

"Very well; when may I meet this, um, Dr. Cullen?" I opened my mouth to answer when the phone suddenly rang. I grabbed it automatically.

"Hello, is Alisa there?" I'd recognize the smooth voice on the other end any day.

"Oh, Edward," I said, slightly surprised. "Wow, you have great timing."

"So I've been told."

"Well, my mom wants to know when she can meet your dad." There was a quick pause at the other end.

"Saturday, 6:00 p.m.?" I covered the receiver and turned back to my mom who was looking at me strange.

"How does Saturday sound?" I asked her. She thought for a moment, thinking back over her schedule, and finally nodded. "That's good," I told him.

"All right; I'll see you tomorrow at school, then, trusting that you will be sitting with us at lunch."

"Dally will drag me over there anyway." I said, smiling a bit. "Bye." There was a click and then the dial tone. I hung up the phone. When I turned back to Dally, my mom was already gone, probably calming herself down with a book or a movie, and Dally was watching me with a hand on her hip.

"What?" I asked, slightly creeped out. She paused before pouting, again.

"I'll drag you where, and why don't you like going there?" I had to laugh and put my arm around her shoulder, leading her to my room.

* * *

Wow, three days goes by fast when you're completely bored; I thought it was the opposite? It was Saturday now, just a few minutes before the meeting between our parents. Edward had insisted on going to a shady little restaurant during it; I wondered why, considering he never seemed to eat in front of us. Dally, of course, kept bugging me to bring her along, even though Emmett wasn't going to be there.

"Ooooooh my God!" she exclaimed, rocking back and forth as she sat next to me on my porch. She said that a lot, I'd noticed. "This is going to totally rock! We'll get to spend more time with Emmett and Edward after this!"

"You do know I don't like Eddy like that, right?" I raised an eyebrow to emphasise my question. She rolled her eyes, but didn't make a comment about the nickname.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, fine; I get to see my boyfriend even more and you get to see your new friend even more."

"That's he's barely my friend. You know, we really need to get some more friends." She giggled and elbowed me lightly in the side.

"Yup; we are truly pathetic."

A moment later a car pulled up in my driveway. We both jumped up, and my mom came outside; she must have been watching from the kitchen window. The sky was darkening, reminding me that it was October. It was weird for him to have us meet when it was beginning to get dark out. All three of us went over to the car, my mom tense. The driver's side door opened and an older man who I could only assume was Dr. Cullen got out. He was every bit as handsome as his son, and had the same golden eyes, which I found extremely creepy; Edward had been adopted, right?

"Why, hello," Dr. Cullen said, holding out a gloved hand. My mother took it cautiously, shaking it once before drawing away. "You must be Mrs. Dredger." His eyes scanned over me and Dally quickly. "And which one of your lovely daughters has stolen the heart of my Emmett?"

"Oh, no, Dally isn't my sister," I interjected, pushing her slightly in front of me. "Just a friend."

"_Best _friend," she partially sang. "Hello Dr. Cullen," There was a huge grin on her face.

"Ah, yes, hello." He nodded to both of us, and moved to the back seat. He opened the door for us. Edward was sitting in the back, gesturing for us to come in. Dally did so eagerly, and I followed, less excited. Dr. Cullen repeated this for my mother, with the passenger's door.

"Where are we going, exactly?" My mother asked, her voice paranoid. I couldn't blame her; Dr. Cullen was kind of creepy. Jeez, creepy seems to be my word of the week.

"Edward wanted to make a nice impression, so he picked somewhere nice."

"It's around here, somewhere." Edward added in. We drove for a few minutes before pulling up to a restaurant I had been to a million times; immediately, me and my mom felt better. We parked. Edward got up and, before I could open the door, he opened it for me. I gave him a strange look, and he smiled, a crooked smile, the first one I'd ever seen him crack.

"I was taught to be polite, a gentleman," he said, offering his hand. I pushed it away and got out.

"Let's get this over with," I told Dally once she got out, and led the way into the building.

* * *

So... that definitely went better than I thought it would have. My mother, comfortable with the familiar surroundings, had loosened up and was actually laughing now. Dr. Cullen, though he still kind of creeped me out (smiling that much and that long could _not_be possible or healthy), was very nice and charming. The smile from earlier seemed to loosen Edward up as well; he wasn't nearly as uptight as he had been the past few days, and had laughed a few times with us. It was strange though; while my mom and Dally were already finished with their plates, Dally asking for seconds, and I wasn't hungry, the two Cullen's hadn't eaten at all; they hadn't even touched the glasses of water sitting in front of them. I shrugged it off.

"Oh, that was wonderful, Dr. Cullen," my mother said in the car. The atmosphere was less tense than before the dinner.

"Please, call me Carlisle, Helen," he said, still smiling. My mom, not used to being addressed by her first name, hesitated before nodding.

"Your mother seems to be paranoid, still," Edward whispered to me, so low I had to strain to hear him.

"Oh, she's always been like that," I said, hand-waving his comment. He nodded, and went back to listening to Dally's ramblings about how the night was perfect. I couldn't keep up, she was talking so fast. She finally stopped once we reached my house. The doors were opened for us - a gesture that was starting to annoy me for some reason - and we all got out. My mother invited Carlisle into the house for a quick coffee, her usual token of gratitude whenever she was taken somewhere or given something.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, Helen. We must be getting back to the house soon; Esme and my children will be wondering where we are by now."

"Oh, of course; wouldn't want to keep her waiting," she smiled.

"I guess I'll see you on Monday," I told Edward. Dally nodded furiously.

"Wait, Alisa," he said, touching my arm for a moment. He didn't grab me; obviously he remembered the last time, and wouldn't want a scene to be made in front of my mother. He glanced at Dally for a moment and tugged on the sleeve of my shirt lightly, asking me to follow him. Once we were out of ear-shot, still in sight of my mom, Dally, and his dad, he stopped me. He cleared his throat.

"Alisa, we haven't know each other more than a few days," he began. I nodded slowly."But, I still feel I have to ask you-

"Wait," I stopped him, holding up my hand. "Where are you going with this?" I had an idea, but didn't want to say it. He flashed me his signature crooked grin, and continued.

"Ms. Alisa Dredger, would you honor me with the chance to become your boyfriend?"

I froze, trying to process what he'd just asked me.

* * *

**Whoa, whoa, whoa, I actually wrote something over 1,000 words?! Jeez! Ha, this is also the fastest update I've ever made!**

**Aaaaaaaall righty then! So, this was long, rambling, and I'm guessing kind of boring. Have a cookie if you weren't bored with it XD? I promise, I'll try and get the plot movin' along real soon! Yes, there is a plot ;)**

**Review please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Edward, Emmett, or Carlisle; they belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do, however, own Alisa, Dally, and Helen.**


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